BizTimes Media is looking to southeastern Wisconsin’s business and nonprofit communities to nominate deserving individuals, companies and organizations for the second annual Nonprofit Excellence Awards program.

At this year's MSSC Leadership Conference in Indianapolis, Butler-based nonprofit GPS Education Partners received the Manufacturing Skill Standards Council (MSSC) Authorized Center Award, a recognition given to schools and/or organizations who are “exceptional” leaders in MSSC assessment.

BizTimes Media has opened the call for nominations for its second annual Nonprofit Excellence Awards program, which celebrates both the philanthropic accomplishments of area business leaders and strides made by nonprofits.

The Milwaukee Institute, a nonprofit computational research center, will add to its computing offerings and facilitate more training courses with a $750,000 grant it has received from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation.

Milwaukee Art Museum director Dan Keegan on Tuesday told members of the Milwaukee County Board’s Parks, Energy and Environment Committee that the museum plans to submit an offer to purchase the O’Donnell Park parking structure and park, located just west of the museum.

Wisconsin was recently ranked dead last nationwide in business startup activity by a respected entrepreneurship nonprofit, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.
While some take issue with what the ranking measured, the fact remains that Wisconsin isn't exactly known for churning out innovative new companies.
At the same time, Wisconsin has struggled to create jobs, ranking 38th in the most recent measure. Startups are an oft-cited solution to stagnant job growth, since they create new jobs as they grow.
The path to starting a business can be long and winding, and the journey grueling, but several local organizations are trying to make it easier for entrepreneurs to start companies and create more jobs. A growing number of incubators, accelerators and startup communities have popped up in the Milwaukee area over the past five years, in an effort to pool resources to send startups on their way to success.